Selling the facts
The writing we have done thus far has been personal, about your travels and perspective on that travel. However, there’s also a fair amount of content produced by tourist boards, agencies, and businesses that requires writing about place.
In the late 19th century, Thomas Cook and his son opened up a travel agency and began offering tour books to far off countries to London travelers. You can find these tour books online today, including this one for London that has everything from directions to cemeteries to cab fares. Cook & Son travel agencies eventually could be found all over the world, partly due to an innovative way to encourage travel by selling coupons. Travelers could buy a coupon book in London and then exchange the coupons for lodging and meals at designated places on an itinerary around the world.
Besides travel books which still are produced today by Fodor’s and Frommer’s, tourist boards in cities and countries publish “content” copy that advertises a place. For example, in the Samples, there is a description about Bora Bora from Tahiti.com.
Writing isn’t always literary—it’s big business, and companies and organizations are looking for ways to bring people to their doors and ports. Writing good copy is a skill that is in demand.
Techniques
Samples
- Bora Bora from Tahiti.com [565 words; 3 minutes]
- Tahiti Travel Guide from AFAR [website with original and sponsored; spend 5-10 minutes exploring the writing]
- 10 days in Tahiti – The perfect honeymoon itinerary by Bronwyn Hodge for GlobeTrotting (an online magazine for the Goway Travel Agency) [1,000 words; 7 minutes]
- Day Trips off the Beaten Path by Bette Erickson for Search Parker magazine [1,000 words; 7 minutes]
Assignment
Due dates
- Informative draft due Wednesday, October 28
- Editorial Comments due Friday, October 30
- Informative revision due Monday, November 2